Chay Snowdon – Zenobia (2018)
‘Zenobia’ is the fourth single that has been released by the band, Chay Snowden. Chay Snowden is a UK band comprised of Liam Roberts on lead guitar, George Roach on bass, Ed Fox on drums and Chay Snowden as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Along with the track, the band released an equally great music video to support.
The track is based around the 3rd-century Syrian Empress, Zenobia and they compare her harsh lifestyle to that of a fictitious modern relationship. The song follows the romance where the girl is driving him crazy, but he can’t seem to walk away. By the way, this girl is described through the words, ‘Majesty’ and ‘fair warning’ when she is coming sets up the picture, and she destroys everything in her path and always has to be the centre of attention. I think that the band did a great job in pulling this message across, both through the lyrics and the video.
The music video for this track was very well thought out and supports the idea that Zenobia is a fierce and confusing woman. The video starts with Snowden looking out at the calm beach and then he begins to walk along the sand. It then cuts to a dark and smoky scene where the whole band is playing their instruments, and you can’t really see what is going on. I think this juxtaposition between the two scenes shows two different mindsets where Zenobia is involved. The dark and smoky room shows what it’s like with Zenobia, confusing and cloudy while the beach portrays calmness when he is away from her.
Although probably not planned, I think the jagged rocks on the beach also support the notion that Zenobia is everywhere, and he can’t escape her. There is a part in the video where Snowden is staring into a pool of water, it appears to be calm, but there is a reflection of these towering rocks present. As he walks along the beach, the rocks multiply and heighten. It is at this point that he runs into the ocean with his clothes on, for me this was seen as a sign of distress and a need to escape from her. I think the music video is an essential factor when viewing the song as it adds more context to the story they are trying to tell and also paints a better picture of Zenobia as a fictional character as well as the Syrian Empress.
